Somos Primos

"Damnatio memories"

The issue of PBS and "THE WAR" appears to be going up and down, and sideways in terms of agreements for the inclusion of Latinos. PBS calls it misunderstandings due to semantics. I would call it something else, Damnatio Memoriae.

Among artifacts found around the world are stones and writings with evidence of changes being made to the text. Historians explain that the life and history of an individual was damned by removing all traces of the individual's life and accomplishments. It amounted to a curse.

In the four major documentaries that Burns has produced for PBS, he has, whether knowingly or not, been practicing a strategy well known among the ancients, "Damnatio Memoriae," a damnation of memories.

I happened to hear the term on the History Channel and realized that Burns who claims to be a historian in the memory business is
skillfully and successfully practicing "Damnatio Memoriae," a damnation of the memories of all U.S. Hispanics.

Burns with public funds has been creating common societal Americana memories (music, sports, wars) in which Hispanic/Latinos do not exist.

Stones and monuments don't have to be defaced. The strategy is simply to make Latinos invisible. Create public memories that exclude any evidence of positive Hispanic contributions: dam our memories.

Interestingly this push for public invisibility or insulting inclusion*is forging ahead as we create monuments, research and explore our own histories, publish books, make presentations, speak out in support of our historical presence and contributions. *See Anti-Spanish Legends

Let us now with increased energy continue our gift to history. Bless and honor our history for the benefit of increased understanding and the unity of our nation.

The introduction to the Defend the Honor update is below. Please go to the site to link to a series of 9 articles that reflects the opinions of many. Each of you, dear reader, can decide what you can do to help.

Defend the Honor
www.defendthehonor.org
May 27^th Update
Activities and Events Surrounding the Ken Burns PBS WWII Documentary
Quote of the Week: Austin American-Statesman Editorial Page Editor,
Arnold Garcia, the son of a WWII veteran:

"For Latinos, World War II was Birmingham, Selma
and the deliverance from Egypt all rolled into one. "

SUMMARY: The Defend the Honor campaign's Gus Chavez and Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez packed 8 events into a short two-day visit to San Diego. They made presentations to high school students, conducted newspaper, television and radio interviews (including Morones Por La Tarde Spanish language radio interviews), visited the Centro Cultural de La Raza, a breakfast at the San Diego landmark Chuy's restaurant of the Latino/Latina Indigenous Peoples Unity Coalition, took part in an open community discussion sponsored by our local PBS station, KPBS at San Diego State University.

The final event held at the San Diego Veterans Museum and Memorial Center - a full house, and more than 40 copies of Dr. Rivas-Rodriguez book "A Legacy Greater Than Words" were sold. Attendees included Latino veterans who fought in WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm from San Diego and southern California. We were honored to have a number of California American G.I. Forum members, including former National Commander Tony Gallegos, attend our program. It was a great event.

Rivas-Rodriguez and Chavez were invited to a discussion with the Editorial Board of The San Diego Union Tribune. It was a spirited discussion, during which Chavez shared a print-out of the last frame of ABC TV's Jimmy Kimmel's "cartoon" mocking our Latino WWII veterans. (ABC Jimmy Kimmel show a week and a half ago featured a short spoof of the Ken Burns The War documentary's inclusion of Latinos. It shows Speedy Gonzalez dodging bullets -- and at the end, a photo-shopped photo of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima has the men wearing sombreros, and rather than a flag, they are hoisting a pinata. )

The issue was very much in the news, as newspaper writers saw the fitting Memorial Day angle: articles and columns appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Austin American-Statesman, the North County Times, the St. Paul Post-Dispatch. See details below, and on the www.defendthehonor.org website.

BACKGROUND:

THE WAR, a 14-hour documentary on WWII, is scheduled to air in September on PBS. Director Ken Burns and associates took six years to interview more than 40 individuals in four communities (Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and Luverne, Minnesota). The documentary features individuals in those communities, with two ethnic/racial groups given special consideration: Japanese Americans and African Americans. The film has no reference to the Latino contribution. The documentary also has an accompanying book and educational materials. PBS officials say, in a news release: "Serving our mission to educate and inform, PBS’s goal for THE WAR is to reach into every home and classroom -- so together we can better understand what we as a nation experienced in those difficult years and what we as a nation accomplished." Concerned individuals ,have contacted PBS officials and Burns’ production company (Florentine Films) and told them that THE WAR is incomplete without the Latino experience.

This email is part of a regular update on the efforts to secure representation of Latinos & Latinas of the WWII generation in THE WAR. Go to the site for links to the latest news and articles on PBS's position. www.defendthehonor.org. Be encouraged, some PBS stations are behind the Defend the Honor move for Latino inclusion.

We can be supportive to the Defend the Honor campaign by contacting local PBS stations and arranging for a scheduling of documentaries that focus on the Latino contributions.

Below are three documentaries, concerning Latinos in World War II, and a film about a young Latino who did not return from Iraq. Hopefully groups can join forces and arrange for local PBS stations to schedule documentaries or taped interviews with Latino veterans of World War II.

If you know of any documentaries that concerning Latino contributions, please do send the information.

"Latino Stories of World War II" For those of you who may not be aware of it, I should mention my own film on Latinos in World War II and where it stands. It's a one hour documentary entitled "Latino Stories of World War II," and it grew out of oral history interviews conducted initially for the oral history project at the University of Texas. Unlike the Ken Burns series, which I saw previewed in Los Angeles, it is not mediated by a narrator. Instead, four Latino veterans (three Mexican Americans and one Cuban American) tell their own stories in their own words. The film incorporates historical film footage, photographs, and music. It is not intended as an overview of the Latino experience in the war, just as the compelling stories of these four individuals: one army man, one Marine, a bomber pilot and a fighter pilot. This film was finished last year, made entirely with a small grant from the University of California's MEXUS research institute. On the advice of several people, I sent a copy to national PBS but they have declined to distribute it to their member stations. However, another supplier, American Public Television, has said that they would make it available to PBS stations this summer. Admittedly, that may be late for some stations in terms of their scheduling. Two PBS stations that I contacted have indicated that they will show my film in conjunction with the Burns series: KCET in southern California, and WEDU in the Tampa, Florida area. I plan to contact other PBS stations located in areas with major Latino populations. I would be glad to send a DVD copy to anyone who may be interested. As things stand now I plan to distribute it myself, although that may change. I am also available to show the film to groups and talk about it. I have already shown it to several community and campus groups. So there is an alternative to Ken Burns, and it is a film made about Latinos by Latinos. There still needs to be a longer and more comprehensive film that will provide an overview of the Latino experience in WWII, but perhaps that will grow out of the current controversy. Mario Barrera mbarrera8@yahoo.com Director/Producer Professor Emeritus, Department of Ethnic Studies University of California, Berkeley
Documentary Colors of Courage: Sons of New Mexico, Prisoners of Japan (2002) Documentary tells the story of the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery Regiments, who achieved ethnic diversity, fought with great distinction in the Philippines, endured the Bataan Death March and became two of the most decorated military units in World War II. The film includes interviews with survivors, a return visit to the Philippines, and a meeting with one of the Japanese guards. Written by Anonymous Scott Henry Tony Martinez
"THE SHORT LIFE OF JOSE ANTONIO GUTIERREZ" OPENS (SAN FRANCISCO) A film by Heidi Specogna www.theshortlife-film.com Sent by Pedro Olivares pedro.olivares5@sbcglobal.net Marine Lance Cpl. José Antonio Gutierrez was one of the 300,000 soldiers the U.S. military sent to war in Iraq in March 2003. A few hours after the war began, his picture was broadcast all over the world: he was the first American soldier to be killed in Iraq. He was also a so- called 'green-card soldier' - one of approximately 32,000 non-U.S. citizens fighting in the ranks of the U.S. armed forces who would receive U.S. citizenship as compensation for their sacrifice. The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez tells the moving story of a one-time street kid from Guatemala, who, full of hopes for a better future, immigrated to the U.S, ultimately to die an American hero in the deserts of Iraq. Director Heidi Specogna retraces José Antonio's path - from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States - and meets the people who accompanied him on his journey: his friends from the street, the social workers at a Guatemala orphanage, his sister, his foster family in Los Angeles, and, at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, the marines who were with him at the end. Chilling, thought-provoking, and profound, José Antonio's story is no adventurer's tale. It is the story of a young man's attempt to survive - on both sides of the world.
"A well researched, graceful film" - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly	"An illuminating story" - David Ansen, Newsweek
STAND FOR DIGNITY "Somos Uno" We are One May 7, 2007 Mr. Ken Burns Florentine Films P.O. Box 613 Walpole, N.H. 03608 Mr. Burns: Like thousands of other Latinos and Native Americans in our nation, I have been closely observing and following the efforts of those who are calling, writing, drafting resolutions and meeting with you and PBS to advocate the inclusion of Latinos and Native Americans in your World War II documentary. We have all been very hopeful that you and PBS would see the "poetic" justice, morality and ethics of these arguments and gladly add these missing components to your important effort. Therefore, I was taken back when I read the New York Times article that asserted that PBS executives were defending your right "…to tell your World War II story as you see fit." The article concluded with the statement that "Mr. Burns said there was no chance that the film would be re-edited. It would be destructive, like trying to graft an arm onto your child, he said. It would destroy the film." Your assertion that any addition would be destructive and would destroy the film could not be further from the truth. Your analogy that any change to your documentary would be equivalent to "grafting an arm to a child" struck a chord and hit a powerful nerve in my body and spirit. I am a Vietnam veteran, class of 1968-69. I was wounded twice in that war and spent nearly six months in an Army hospital in Okinawa, Japan, where I underwent 2-3 surgeries to regain my eye sight. When I was able to see again, I witnessed the true "remnants" of war - thousands of young men without arms, legs and body parts. These soldiers, like most others wounded in war, are always hidden and forgotten. I recall the first time I was able to attend Mass at the hospital chapel. I did so in spite of the fact that my faith had been badly shaken from my experiences in war - I decided to stand at the back of the church. A young man in a wheel chair was brought in and placed right next to me. He was missing one arm, both legs and half of his face was disfigured. When it was time for communion, he motioned for me to push him up the aisle. With a lump in my throat, I gladly agreed to help him. During our brief trip up the aisle the young man expressed to me how wonderful it was to be alive. In those few words, he taught me the "sacred and supreme value of life" and removed forever all of my own self pity. During those six months in the hospital, I spoke with hundreds of young men who were coming to terms with their loss of body parts. To a person, they celebrated the news that they would be getting the addition of a new arm, foot or leg. They saw the new limb as a constructive rather than destructive factor in giving them the chance to build a more fulfilling life. I trust you have gotten my point that an "amputation" of Latinos and Native Americans from this documentary would make it incomplete and ultimately false. What you and PBS are being asked is simply to do what is right. Include the experiences of the groups that actually fought in the war, that made a recognizable impact on American history and culture and that has too often been systematically excluded from efforts to document this reality. You are not the first, nor will you likely be the last to face this challenge. But the more we learn about what actually happened in American history, the greater our responsibility becomes to speak this truth and to try to understand how it has affected our lives and our culture. I’m adding my humble voice to the growing list of Americans who are asking you and PBS to include in your documentary the experiences, contributions and the ultimate price paid by many Latinos and Native Americans who fought in World War II. As is scripted on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC, "All Gave Some; Some Gave All!" By recognizing and adding them or "grafting" as you put it, you enlighten your poetry and hopefully even advance the effort to stop the next war! I close my appeal to you and PBS with a quote from author Karen Armstrong, "Our differences define us but our common humanity can redeem us. We just have to open our hearts." The Truth Matters! David Valladolid Vietnam Veteran-199^th Light Infantry Brigade-Class of 1968-69 Cc: Paula Kerger, PBS President & Chief Executive Officer Mr. Sonny Mehta, President-Knopf Publishing Group Patricia de Stacy Harrison, President and CEO Corporation for Public Broadcasting Adelante a la luz, David Valladolid, President & CEO dvalladolid@piqe.org www.piqe.org Sent by Gus Chavez

THE MEDAL

One January afternoon, my papa phoned me. He very excitedly told me that he was going to receive "the medal." I was so used to his receiving awards that it did not immediately occur to me what medal it was. I asked, "Who is giving you the medal." I already knew what it was for.

My father responded, "President Reagan". Then Papa admonished me not to tell anyone until it was announced in the paper. Papa filled me in on the details.

It was hard to keep silent, and harder still in a Senate office where staff gets notified in advance of such news. The news inevitably did leak out to my colleagues who were as thrilled as I. They gave me advice on clothing and people to visit while I was in D.C.

In March the White House Press announced the recipients. Besides my father, the other honorees were Howard H. Baker, Jr., Whittaker Chambers, Leo Cherne, Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat (posthumously), Tennessee Ernie Ford; General Andrew J. Goodpaster, Lincoln Kirstein, Louis L. Amour, Norman Vincent Peale; Jack Roosevelt Robinson (posthumously), Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Dr. Denton Cooley, and James Cagney.

Immediately Papa arranged for all of us to go to Washington D.C. The ceremony was to be held March 26, 1984 in the East Room at the White House. The White House had mailed me my invitation in March 1984. Rupert, the postman was so impressed by the invitation that he knocked on my front to deliver it into my hands.

On March 24, 1984, my parents flew to Austin where Susie, my sister and I would join them on the airplane trip to D.C. the next day. They stayed at the Villa Capri on Red River and I-Hwy 35 (now the site of the UT intramural field). By chance, the hotel gave my parents the UT room. The room was filled with memorabilia and photographs of all the UT games. Personally, I felt it was a good omen.

So the Garcia family flew to Washington, D.C., to visit the country’s Halls of Power. The National Officers of the American G.I. Forum (AGIF), Jake Alarid, AGIF National Commander, Dominga Coronado, AGIF National Women’s Chair, Rosa Ena Gutierrez, and Special Assistant to my father greeted us at Dulles Airport. Following a brief press conference they escorted us to our hotel. We were wined and dined by the AGIF. After all the celebrations we retired to our hotel suites to wait for the next day. My Papa was very excited and would call several times to admonish us not to leave the hotel. So my sisters and I occupied our time by looking up scripture in the hotel’s Gideon’s bible. Susie opened the bible and by chance it opened to a verse describing what to do when you dine with an important man. When Susie read the verse, we marveled at the coincidence.

The next afternoon Kathy Villapando, Special Assistant to the President and a fellow Texan arrived with a limousine to escort all of us to the White House.

We arrived at the White House and had to enter through the Southeast gate. A marine in full dress uniform was assigned to each guest. Shortly after the honor guard escorted us to the East Room on the second floor, I had to use the bathroom. So a marine escorted me to the bathroom on the first floor. This had been my first visit to the White House and I wanted to see everything. I got to explore the room with the Wedgwood china and all the antiques. And that was the extent of my tour of the White House.

The guests were seated at round tables and a dignitary was assigned to each. Vice President Bush, James McFarland, several members of the cabinet and secretaries of administrations were among the dignitaries assigned to the tables. I was seated next to James McFarland. My father sat with the President.

The Presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom was first. The recipients were lined up behind the President. Mrs. Reagan stood to the side of the President and shook the hand of each recipient. The medal was made of gold and the name of the recipient was inscribed on the back of the medal. The medal was suspended from a blue ribbon with a white border. Included were smaller medals for lapels for the recipient to wear as the situation demanded.

When my Papa’s turn came, he walked up to the President. Before the President handed him the medal, he announced:

Dr. Hector Garcia's patriotism and community concern exemplify the meaning of good citizenship. His many community-building endeavors included his work as a founder and first National Chairman of the American G.I. Forum, a veteran’s organization which has done much to improve the lot of Americans of Mexican descent. Over the years, he has faithfully represented our government on numerous occasions, overseas and domestically. Dr. Hector Garcia is a credit to his family and community, and to all Americans. Through his efforts, based on a deep belief in traditional American ideals, he has made this a better country.

I could see the tears well in my father’s eyes. I was so proud of my Papa and so moved by emotion. My Papa remarked to the President, "Mr. President, Well, I feel like I have finally arrived as an American."

The luncheon menu was simple, Bay Scallops and Lobster salad, Tenderloin of veal, Seashell pasta Florentine, fresh berries in pastry. Susie had trouble cutting the dessert pastry because it was thick and offered to send the white house an electric knife.

Eunice Shriver was honored at this ceremony. Senator Teddy Kennedy was present with the two Shriver children. My father spoke to the Senator who remembered my father’s work to elect his brother John F. Kennedy by forming the Viva Kennedy Clubs. James Cagney was in a wheel chair. I did not realize that a stroke had left him immobile and unable to speak. I told him that I was a big fan of his and he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. His eyes spoke volumes. I got to meet Dr. Denton Cooley and the other recipients of the Medal of Freedom.

After the ceremony, Kathy Villapando took us to the executive offices located on the White House grounds to visit with James Baker. Mr. Baker congratulated my father and said some kind words to him.

Then, we left the White House and the limo took us to the Senate Office Building to visit Senator Lloyd Bentsen, my employer. He wanted to personally congratulate my father.

That evening the Senators Lloyd Bentsen Jr. and John Tower and the Texas Congressional delegation threw a reception for my father at the Mayflower hotel. All the D.C. power people attended and many of my relatives flew in from different parts of Texas for the event. All of the Hispanic delegation and many of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate attended. Still I cherish the memories and photographs of the event.

President Reagan had a great liking for my father. An observer would notice this while the President conversed with my father during the luncheon at the White House. President Reagan and my Papa had much in common. Both were children of the depression and understood hardship. Years later President Ronald Reagan invited my father to join him on a tour of South Texas.

His was the American dream. Dr. Hector P. Garcia, founder of the American G.I. Forum, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was the first Mexican American to receive the Presidential Medal of
Freedom, a Mexican refugee who became a doctor, soldier, war hero, a confidant of presidents and the recipient of the nation's highest civilian award.

He achieved the respect and validation that had eluded him during the early years. Of all the awards he received in his lifetime, the medal was the most precious and meaningful to him. He wore it everywhere. This honor encouraged my Papa to continue his efforts
in the battle for equity for
Hispanic Americans.

All photos by permission of Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers, Special Collections & Archives, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Bell Library.

Dionicio Morales

Another leader in the Civil Rights Movement whose daughter, Magdalena, is bringing forth the history of the dedication and sacrifices of her father, Dionicio Morales. Magdalena has been instrumental in setting up a very beautiful, informative website, with photos arranged by decades.

I strongly urge a visit to the website: http://www.dioniciomorales.com

Dear Mimi,

I have been following this story of the PBS special on "The War" and its corporate decision to exclude Latinos. As I understand they have been so deluged with e-mails that they can't possibly answer them all. And of course there are the letters to their station affiliates and their corporate sponsors along with several notables from within and without the veteran community speaking out on the issue. A great deal of attention has been drawn on a serious issue but the matter is still unresolved!

I was there along with perhaps a dozen other Latinos at the Museum of Radio and Television on April 23rd, when the premiere of "The War" was screened and I was disappointed that more people weren't involved. We're vocal but we need to be more visible. I held up a poster of the Mexican-American recipients of the Medal of Honor and a friend, Ray Andrade helped me by handing out flyers for Valiant Press which features the stories of these heroes in book form. More information about Valiant Press can be found at my website, www.valiantpress.com

My Dad, Raul Morin was one of the first to realize that the valor of Mexican-American heroes was largely unacknowledged. This was the impetus of his writing his book, "Among the Valiant". In it he chronicles that deeds of valor of the heroes of WWII and Korea. My father knew the value of education and wanted to inspire the young.

Frequently, I address groups at veterans organizations, school campuses and bookstores. The feedback from the public is indicative that the issue with PBS is a live one. There is still a lot of pride attached to the Hispanic communities involvement in this nation's war and the common sentiment is expressed that we definitely are underrepresented in media coverage. All of which underscores the fact that we should continue to clamor for fair representation from PBS and other media sources until our stories are handled in a respectful manner. PBS has not paid attention to complaints from the Latino community and has made only a very feeble attempt to mollify matters. Our basic premise is this: we want to be treated as equals and this has been the issue which PBS has stonewalled on. Our response has to be more pressure, more exposure and no rest we are properly recognized.

Eddie Morin

New Book: The Journey to Latino Political Representation - John P. Schmal

The Journey to Latino Political Representation is a detailed, yet succinct, description of the struggle of Latino Americans to express their political voice from 1822 to the present day. There are essentially two parts to this story: the decline of Hispanic representation in the nineteenth century and the revival of their political voice in the second half of the twentieth century. To explain this, the author discusses Latino population demographics, anti-immigrant legislation and other political influences. In addition, short biographies throughout the book help to familiarize the reader with some of the politicians. The Journey is one of the few works that describes the step-by-step struggle of one cultural group to achieve political representation. In this respect, the book fills a niche that has been neglected for decades. In the preface, Dr. Edward E. Telles, the author of the award-winning, Race in Another America: The Significance of Skin Color in Brazil, states that this book is "an important educational service" that "will be useful in classrooms throughout the United States." He adds that, "no longer can educators in any part of the United States deny or ignore the political importance of Latinos to their students, as this book makes apparent." 2007, 5½x8½, paper, index, 228 pp.
$24.00 S4114 ISBN: 0788441140
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TEACHER ORIENTATION
A TALE OF TWO SCHOOLS

The Importance of September 19, 1947
on the U.S. School Desegregation

by Galal Kernahan

It is difficult now to imagine the poisonous atmosphere wafting round California's racial and ethnic communities at the onset of World War II. Two years earlier, newspapers from coast to coast had been urging the U.S. to punish "perfidious" Mexicans for nationalization of foreign oil properties (later repaid in full). Standard Oil Company of New Jersey was so pleased with its propaganda blitz; it reprinted hundreds of choice bits in a 1939 book, MEXICO AT THE BAR OF PUBLIC OPINION by Burt McConnell. Hardly ten years after California Mexican American families were scooped up, taken by train into Northern Mexico and dumped, the Anaheim BULLETIN urged punitive deportations. Others like Long Beach PRESS-TELEGRAM, Fullerton NEWS-TRIBUNE, San Bernardino SUN and Pasadena STAR-NEWS carried threatening editorials and nasty cartoons.

Yet, in World War II, Mexican Americans distinguished themselves. Seventeen won Congressional Medals of Honor. The gallantry of Japanese Americans who fought in Europe is legendary.

Soon after the December 7, 1941, Japanese Imperial attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese American families in California (but not in Hawaii) were rounded up, hauled off to remote camps, and penned behind barbed wire for the duration.

Making things right in California after the war would begin with stopping school segregation and erasing state law that provided for it. By September 19, 1947, that part of the mission had been accomplished.

TWO SCHOOLS from the 1988 California Parks and Recreation FIVE VIEWS, An Ethnic Sites Survey for California. Cited sections were first published in 1980.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/5views/5views0.htm

Pages 237-238 Westminster "Mexican" School Dedicated on September 6, 1935, the Westminster School in Orange County is a one-story complex designed by J. E. Allison and constructed of stucco with a composition tile roof . . .a landmark in the historic case of Mends v. Westminster, which ended de jure school segregation of Mexicans in California ’s public schools. Separation of school children on the basis of race and nationality dated to an 1855 legislative decision that apportioned school funds on the basis of the number of White children, ages four to 18 in each county. As a result of this legislation, Blacks, Asians and Indians were specifically denied admission to White schools by the 1860s.

Although Blacks obtained the right to a "separate but equal" education during Reconstruction, and 20 years later, the right to send their children to mixed schools, Chinese and Indian children continued as late as 1945 (according to Section 8003 of the Education Code) to be specifically denied the right to attend mixed schools, as long as separate schools were provided for their education. . .

Page 196 Walnut Grove "Oriental" School Segregated schools in Walnut Grove continued until 1942, when all Japanese Americans in California were interned, leaving Filipino and Chinese students in the Oriental School. Financial considerations were apparently the deciding factor in desegregating the schools in 1943. . .

After World War II internment, a Japanese family challenged the constitutionality of California ’s separate school provision. The Los Angeles County Superior Court agreed that segregation on the basis of race or ancestry violated the 14th Amendment. In 1947, the California legislature repealed the amendment that provided for separate schools for Chinese, Indians and Japanese. Page 238

. . .Ironically, however, the code did not mention the group most commonly segregated by 1945: children of Mexican descent. . .Segregation of Mexican children in public schools had kept pace with Mexican migration. . .between 1920 and 1930, California’s Mexican and Mexican American population tripled, making these people the state’s largest minority group, a ranking they still maintain. . . While Mexican and Chicano parents were acutely aware of the discrimination suffered during these years, economic conditions during the Depression, including forced repatriation of both Mexicans and Mexican Americans, prevented cohesive opposition to the state’s educational policy. . . In Westminster, Orange County, Gonzalo Mendez and several other Mexican American parents persuaded the school board to propose a bond issue for the construction of a new, integrated school. After the bond issue was defeated, however, the school board refused to consider the matter. Having failed to convince the local voters to abolish segregated schools, Mendez and six other plaintiffs sought legal redress. . .although the defense argued that a federal court had no jurisdiction in the cases since educational policies were determined by individual states . . .Judge McCormick ruled in favor of Mendez and his co-plaintiffs on February 18, 1946. .

The defense immediately announced it would appeal the decision, which attracted national attention. The American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Jewish Congress, and the Japanese American Citizens League filed briefs in support of McCormick’s position. . .the Court of Appeals. . .did uphold McCormick’s decision that segregation of Mexican and Mexican American children violated the Fourteenth Amendment. . .In Orange County, school officials decided not to pursue their opposition to the case, and in September, 1947, integrated schools opened in Westminster, Garden Grove, El Modena and Santa Ana. . .The Mendez decision established "precedent for important cases in other states. In 1948 and 1950, important federal district courts ruled that de jure segregation of Mexican-American school children was unconstitutional in Texas and Arizona . . .If Mendez v. Westminster could not be cited as direct precedent for the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954, in which the Supreme Court did finally reverse the "separate but equal" doctrine. . .the social and educational theory expressed by Judge McCormick anticipated Earl Warren’s historic opinion. . ." Wollenberg, ALL DELIBERATE SPEED, 1976, pp 131-132.

Sylvia, shown as a child,
was 8 when the school turned her away.
Photo courtesy of Sylvia Mendez

AN EARLY BLOW FOR EQUALITY
Tyche Hendricks, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer, 5/9/2007

FOR ALL CHILDREN: A family's fight 60 years ago against a California school that turned away their kids because they were Mexican helped end segregation in public education

Sylvia Mendez was honored Tuesday at the San Francisco federal courthouse where her elementary school -- one reserved for "Mexicans" -- was outlawed 60 years ago in a decision that led California to desegregate all its schools and public facilities.

Mendez's parents and four other Latino families in Orange County had sued four school districts, in Mendez vs. Westminster, and the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the decades-old federal doctrine of "separate but equal" violated the U.S. Constitution.

Sylvia Mendez (right) and Sandra Robbie are touring the U.S. Chronicle photo by Liz Mangelsdorf

It was in their case that NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall tried out the winning arguments he was to make in Brown vs. Board of Education before the U.S. Supreme Court, which outlawed segregation nationwide in its decision on the case in 1954.

Mendez, a 70-year-old retired nurse who lives in Fullerton, was feted at the Ninth Circuit's Seventh Street courthouse by the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association at a screening of an Emmy-winning documentary about her family's precedent-setting but little-known lawsuit, "Mendez vs. Westminster: For All the Children/Para Todos Los Niños."

She and the film's director, Sandra Robbie, plan to tour the country to raise awareness of the decision. The U.S. Postal Service plans to release a boldly colored stamp in September honoring the ruling's 60th anniversary.

The day in 1943 when 8-year-old Sylvia and her younger brothers were turned away from Westminster Elementary because of their dark skin and Spanish last name remains vivid to her.

She had been excited to start school in their new town after they moved from Santa Ana. Instead, dressed in her best with her hair neatly braided, she was sent away along with her brothers, even though their light-skinned cousins were allowed to enroll.

Her parents, Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, who owned a cantina and had moved to Westminster to manage a farm, were appalled. They had thought all the students in the Santa Ana school were Mexican American because they lived in a Mexican American neighborhood. They had no idea state law allowed segregation against Mexican Americans, Sylvia Mendez said.

The couple found Los Angeles civil rights lawyer David Marcus and sued on behalf of the estimated 5,000 Mexican American families in Orange County.

"After the school district saw that my father had gotten a lawyer, they said we could go to the school," Mendez said. "But he said, 'Forget it. I'm going to do this for everybody.' He decided to keep fighting."

When a federal district court ruled in the family's favor, civil rights groups across the country took notice. Attorneys had begun a campaign in the 1930s to challenge official segregation in the United States, and the NAACP had taken on segregated universities. But the district court's 1946 decision in Mendez tackled "separate but equal" more directly and gave credence to the notion that segregated schools hampered the education of minority students.

After the Mendez ruling, the NAACP filed lawsuits against five segregated school districts in Kansas and across the south, and the U.S. Supreme Court eventually addressed those cases simultaneously in its 1954 decision in Brown vs. Board of Education.

When the school district appealed, the NAACP, the ACLU, the Japanese American Citizens League, the American Jewish Congress and other groups filed briefs to support the ruling that segregated schools were inherently unequal. And the Ninth Circuit, on April 14, 1947, agreed that segregating schools on the basis of national origin violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

"It desegregated schools for all ethnic minorities in California seven years before the Brown decision," said Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Christopher Arriola, an authority on the Mendez case. "And it has the legacy leading up to Brown because Thurgood Marshall for the first time argued outright for the overturning of Plessy vs. Ferguson, which allowed for segregation."

Earl Warren, then governor of California, within two months pushed through a state law invalidating all segregated facilities in California -- swimming pools, movie theaters, public parks and schools. In 1954, as chief justice of the United States, he wrote the Brown decision.

Robbie, the filmmaker, who grew up in Westminster many years after Mendez did, said she didn't know segregation had been part of California's history until she heard of the Mendez case.

"I thought that only happened in the American South," she said. "I knew this was a story my children -- every child -- had to know. It brought home the idea that the civil rights struggle didn't just happen in the American South but across the country and that it was about everybody of every color."

She hopes to see the case taught in schools as part of the history of the civil rights movement.

The "Mexican" schools had dirt yards instead of grassy lawns and taught vocational skills instead of literature and science, Mendez said. But she said she fully understood discrimination for the first time when her family moved back to Santa Ana -- after the Ninth Circuit ruling -- and she enrolled as the first Latino student at a former "white" school and was beaten up and called a "dirty Mexican."

"I realized then what my father was fighting for," she said.

She is still inspired by her parents' fortitude.

"My father was really strong," she said. "He didn't want us to grow up thinking we're not equal."

When Mendez told her mother a few years later that she wanted to be a telephone operator, her mother insisted she sign up for microbiology and become a registered nurse instead.

This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler vs. Doe, which overturned a Texas law denying illegal immigrant children access to public schools. The court ruled that children are entitled to an education regardless of immigration status, said Maria Blanco, director of the San Francisco Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.

And that decision, in turn, was the federal district court's basis for overruling California's Proposition 187, which voters passed in 1994 and would have denied illegal immigrants access to public services.

Sent by:
Ted Vincent Fsln@aol.com, Also Dorinda Moreno, Howard Shorr, and Carlos Munoz

Spanglish

As Americans we all know that the is the largest melting pot in the entire world, that we have every language spoken through out the globe right here in our own . Now the thing is this, if we have so many diverse cultures and languages being spoken why do we have a problem in allowing them on the Air? Young Latin Americans speak predominantly a broken language we have all come to know as Spanglish. Which is a combination of Spanish and English and used more as slang than a real language. But we all have used it at one point or another. We are faced with our youth not always learning Spanish completely and having to substitute words in English to make up for not being able to carry out a full Spanish conversation.

What I am seeing is a big transition over to the same use of Spanglish not only in our every day lives but now a lot of our New young Artists are also using more in their music. If you listen to a lot of our Artists they are really bringing out some HOT music and not only doing it in Spanish & English but Spanglish as well. I have always felt that we can grow this Genre if we use this to our advantage. Our generation of Latinos are all pretty much in the same boat, we each partake in this use of our language and do it pretty well and a lot of the times it’s so customary for us we don’t even notice were doing it. It’s a normality to our lives and in bringing together this one key feature into our Music we add a special tone that can bring out some unique and Hot music that can not be overlooked when marketed properly.

I have heard a lot of music coming out of the Latin Hip Hop community and many are doing this and some have had huge success in doing so. Just to name one big name we would have to look at Pitbull, this young man has taken the Spanglish use to a new level in music by always kicking in some Spanish in all his songs or at the least a lot of his songs. If you look at his success you will see there is a market for it and that success can come out of it! Now lets take it back to 1990 and we can see that even back then we had an opportunity to move on this particular style of music and although Gerardo had a big hit with his album Mo’ Ritmo and although many do not see him a key artist in the game you can not deny that in 1990 you weren’t saying "Rico Suave". We didn’t see this movement coming but it has been there for many years and it is now truly evolutioning. The underground has T-Weaponz, a Hip Hop outfit of young Latinos in Brooklyn which has had huge underground success in doing the same thing. They had "Mira Mira" which went on to gain national accolades and accumulated over 26,000 National Radio Spins. It featured Pitbull & Notch and was in English, Spanish & Spanglish. If you listen to this song not only will you hear a fierce group of rappers but a song that was done exactly what so many before it have, been successful. Catchy hook that combined English and Spanish to a perfect blend.

Many don’t feel that this is something plausible, I disagree only because I have seen the success of it and see that there is a huge potential in taking this to another level and really making something happen. Now we can actually have songs played regularly on all Radio supporting Hip Hop and not just those that we decide to change over because of some little success that were allowed to have. If we actually make music that is enjoyable for everyone, guess what they will accept, listen and buy!

So is there a market for this? YES! But is it feasible? That’s the main question, which is one that has due justice to be asked, because can we really expect something out of the ordinary to work? I honestly feel that we can, because if Dora the Explorer can be a cartoon show targeted to our kids in English and Spanish why can't our Music? TV knows there is a market out there, so when are Radio and Music Labels going to realize the same thing?

I Love my culture, my music and Hip Hop. I think we have a perfect combination when we have them all intertwined and this is something that if implemented correctly can outdo so many other genres that have come and gone, and we can actually remain! By doing so you not only open up doors for those who don’t understand Spanish to enjoy but now you open doors to Radio stations that wouldn’t usually play it because it was a Spanish song. We can make headway if we actually examine a lot of what is already being done out in the market! Lets not wait until were told when our music should pop, lets choose when we have our time.

Written by: Hector "Heist" Alvarez
Perrealo Media Group
perrealo@gmail.com

Support for Immigrant ESL Programs Ray Solem Foundation The Ray Solem Foundation was established to find creative ways to help poor immigrants advance within the United States and become productive citizens. The Foundation is offering one-time grants of up to $10,000 to nonprofit organizations that have developed programs to help immigrants in the United States further their verbal English language skills - listening comprehension and oral communications. Grants are to be used to continue ongoing work performed by the recipient organizations. The application deadline is July 31, 2007. Visit the website for more information. http://www.raysolemfund.org/ Sent by Howard Shorr howardshorr@msn.com
Spanish Language GED Practice Exams Now Available from SpanishGED.org (Redondo Beach, CA, April 30, 2007) - SpanishGED.org announced today the release of its newly revised collection of Spanish language GED Practice Tests. The tests, which are closely correlated with the new Spanish language GED exams, are available in hardcopy and electronic formats, for $19.95 each. "Over half of the Hispanic population in this country does not have a high school diploma, which means they suffer chronic unemployment and under-employment, are living without proper healthcare coverage, and are more likely to be welfare recipients," says Jack Bernstein, President of SpanishGED.org. "The Practice Tests are an excellent way for Spanish-speaking adults to prepare to take the exam in all five subject areas." The GED Practice Tests are available as follows: Practice Test - Science / Examene de Práctica - Ciencias Practice Test - Language Arts / Examene de Práctica - Lenguajes Practice Test - Mathematics / Examene de Práctica - Matemáticas Practice Test - Social Studies / Examene de Práctica - Estudios Sociales Recently, the highly regarded Midwest Book Review declared SpanishGED.org's Spanish language GED prep materials, "simply outstanding," and awarded it a "strongly recommended" rating. (The Midwest Book Review is one of two publications that school and public librarians nationwide use to decide which books and CD's should be purchased for their collections.) "According to the Joint Economic Committee, high school dropouts earn about $260,000 less over their lifetimes, which means they pay about $60,000 less in taxes; when totaled, lost revenue to state and federal governments is in the tens of billions of dollars annually. Nearly 80% of those in prison do not have high school degrees or the equivalent. Now that the GED exam is being given in Spanish, the GED certificate is truly a way for many to get their lives back on track and become part of mainstream America," says Bernstein. The Spanish Language GED Practice Tests are available from: www.SpanishGED.org; Amazon.com; or Baker & Taylor. SpanishGED.org is part of InterLingua Educational Publishing, a Southern California-based publisher founded in 1992. The company's mission is to make educational materials available to K-12 English Language Learner (ELL) students nationwide. For more information contact: Marcelo Podesta Ph: 310-792-3635 Fax: 310-792-3642 Marcelo@SpanishGED.org
Judge A.D. Azios article Estimado Colega, (odie@lmtonline.com) I don’t know if you have even heard my name, much less remember me. However, your "Inspirational" article about Judge Azios' view on "EDUCATORS" compelled me to write the following: The Azioz family lived right behind our house @ 1312 Salinas Ave. exactly 4 blocks from the "Hamilton Hotel". Judge Azios was just a few years older than I. He was one of the G.I.'s who first were called to serve in the Military. Jesus & Juan Meza were two other young guys called in from our "Tex-Mex (R.R) Barrio.. they fit into this story because Their father was Chief-Chef at the Hamilton Hotel; My education Sub-One (English learners) to M.H.S. were the educational routs which ALL of us followed. The only Chicano MALE teacher, I had was Mr.. George Garza, who taught Mechanical Drawing @ M.H.S. ( era 1943-'50). He became MY ROLE MODEL, when he organized us into the "Jr. LULAC Council #1 under the auspices of "Laredo LULAC Council #12. Among our group were: Vidal Trevino (RIP) Laredo ISD Supt., ATT. Roberto Ornelas Fire Chief Flores, Col. Andres Cuellar &many others for whom "The Senior LULACS became OUR "Parentis Absensia". One other "limitation" we ENJOYED was the LACK of "English CARRIERS" into our homes. The English we learned was not "RELEVANT to our NEIGHBORHOOD CULTURE". Our "Reading Series was "Dick &Jane"; FATHER, MOTHER did not look or dressed like "Mama y Papa'. Dick had a "PONY", an animal, which made a noise "Clipity-Clop" as he walked down the "Bridal Path". Please tell me, how could we as 8 year old Laredo Children "Relate" to these "IMAGES"? The closest "IMAGE" to this animal to which we were exposed would have to be the "Lone Ranger series" on Sat. afternoons@ "El Teatro Mejico". As for the sound "EFFECTS" of the "Pony's walk", it was more like "Tikitan-tikitan, Tickitan tan tan sang to the tune of "William Tell's Overture" as we ran our "Mora-Branch Stick Horse" into the sunset of "The Streets of Laredo". Many years later, I became an Elementary School (East Tx. State Teachers Collage 1969) and was recruited to teach 5th grade in California. Why California? you ask? The salary offered was $4,600.00 a year; Tx. best offer was $2,800.00. However, I was received by a communities of 95% Raza ! They had NEVER seen a Chicano Teacher. Mr.. Garza's mentoring lessons came back to me. I taught from 8:00 a.m. 'til 3:00 p.m., then I would supervise after school play ground, then I would make home-visits. I asked permission from the communities if it was O.K. for me to wear a shirt & tie or did they think that it made me think that I was better then "They"? ("(Dick & Jane FATHER image came to mind) The parents saw me out in the playground in "T" shirt, sweaty & dirty, so they said, "Mr.. Ayala, our kids LOVE to see someone "Como nosotros" wearing a shirt & tie to work. BINGO ! I had a "Parents meeting in my room every night prior to "P.T.A.". I wound go over the "AGENDA" with them, so they would know what would be happening.. From the "Pledge of Allegiance" ritual, Previous meeting minutes, treasury Report, etc. Needless to say, my room always "WON" the "Cookie Jar" for having the most Parents in attendance. In 1969 I received a "Fellowship for Experienced Mex-American Teachers" to be trained as "Change Agents in the school system for Mexican-American students. WOW ! I had not even applied,; one of the recruiters had been a teacher in Bakersfield, Ca., where I had been teaching. He & I were 2 of the 5 Mexican American (M/A) teachers employed by a district of 1200 teachers; with a 33% M/A student population. For my thesis I chose " Bilingual- Bicultural Early Childhood Education"; The Ayala Dual Language instructional Method, Strong Parent Participation, Staff Development & Material Development. As a result of all the "ERRORS" I saw in my educational career I tried to include into this program. The Program lasted 23 years in 5 northern Ca. counties, 10 school districts and was extended to served the Asian Refugees as they started to arrive. Then came the "Slav" Refugees i.e. Russian, Ukraine, Romanians plus others. Gracias a Dios, mi familia Mr.. Garza, LULACS & the support of my friends, The Laredo Times for letting me sell it at the corner of "Kress". Ms. Edna Deats, who allowed me to run her "News Stand" for 3 years while I finished MHS, she also introduced me to the ins & outs of he ""Anglo High Society of Laredo. Every school we served had an objective which required every K-1st grader's home to be visited by the end of the second month of school. The teachers & Assistants were paid salary & mileage. Sorry I made this so long , however YOU inspired me. Como siempre, con RESPETO y CARINO, se firma, su seguro servidor, "Ora es cuando EL CHILE le da savor al caldo"! Dr. Armando A. Ayala
Perspective on Latino Education by Manny Hernandez
Born and raised in Sleepy Hollow, New York. At eleven years of age, Manuel Hernandez' family moved to Puerto Rico. He finished grade school in Puerto Rico. He received his B.A. in English; secondary education at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus in 1986 and completed his M. A. in English at Herbert H. Lehman College in the Bronx, New York in 1994. His papers-in-lieu of thesis are on the English writers George Bernard Shaw and John Milton.
Hernandez has presented workshops, coordinated symposiums, conducted television interviews and moderated panels on the literature written by United States based Latino writers in Puerto Rico, the United States and Mexico. He also writes commentary essays on Latino education for several websites and newspapers in Puerto Rico and The United States. He published a textbook titled, Latino/a Literature in The English Classroom (Editorial Plaza Mayor, 2003). He currently teaches English at a public high school in Puerto Rico. His educational vision is to integrate Latino Literature to encourage young adult students to read and write. He believes that having an encounter with Latino literature will help teens (especially Latinos) to improve scores on city, national and statewide exams and will prepare them for further literary analysis. Hernandez lives in Luquillo, Puerto Rico and enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Maria, his eighteen-year old son, Joey, and his newborn baby boy, Josue Esteban. He is a disciple at Iglesia Vida Abundante in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. This is a series of twelve essays on the topic of Latino Education. Essay I 75-Latino Education: Improving Literacy http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index46.asp Essay II Latino Education: Parent Involvement http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index54.asp Essay III -Latino Education: An American Journey http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index57.asp Essay IV Latino Education: Adolescent Literacy http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index58.asp Essay V -Latino Education: The Weakest Link http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index59.asp Essay VI Creating Tomorrows: Latino Education http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index60.asp Essay VII Latino Education: The Determining Factor in America's Future http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index62.asp Essay VIII Beyond Sheer Trends: Latino Education http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index65.asp Essay IX Latino Education: Neglect and Overlook http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index66.asp Essay X Latino Education: Content Changes http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index72.asp Essay XI Latino Education: A Personal Response http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index74.asp http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index63.asp http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index67.asp http://puertoricans.com/city/MANNY/index73.asp For additional comments or questions, e-mail the author at mannyh32@yahoo.com and visit http://www.myspace.com/Nuyorican32
Essay 12 *Latino Education: Beyond The Millenium* by Manuel Hernandez-Carmona
The Latino preschool, elementary, secondary and high school population has grown and become an important factor of the education in America today. Much of the recent growth in enrollment in elementary and secondary schools may be attributed to the rise in the number of Latino students. Latinos continue to come into the United States at unprecedented rates. Although it is a matter of survival at the beginning of the immigration process, Education is key value cherished by Latinos, but at the same time, are many times less likely to receive a quality education than other American ethnic groups. The educational journey is rough and bumpy, but Latinos have realized that their opportunities are based in the educational empowerment of the people. After numerically proving in the past two major elections that they should not be taken for granted; the education of Latinos must be a top priority for the President's administration and the newly appointed Congress. While the War on Terror continues to be the number one priority today in America, more and more Latino children find themselves out of school and without the academic support needed to walk within the American educational school system. Census projections go as far as placing them over the 100 million mark by mid-century, but the numbers are meaningless unless high school drop out rates, national testing scores and other educational mishaps are addressed immediately by the Department of Education. However, despite the fact that Latinos have recently made some academic gains, disparities still exist in academic performance between Latinos and non- Latino White students. Very few Latino immigrants have the ambitions and aspirations for anything more than providing a decent living for their families here in the United States or in their native countries. Most of them are hard workers, and they seem satisfied just with living life with whatever they can get from their labors. Latino education is in dire need of role models willing to go back and visit these inner city neighborhoods and talk and speak out on the power of education, it being the key to success. The journey in itself is fast-paced, and technology is ever-changing; Latino education needs a clear vision and a steady direction. Although the journey is filled with uncertainties, Latino education will undoubtedly, cast away its traditional mentality and will rise to its academic expectations. But we Latino leaders must do it ourselves, now and today; our generations will benefit from our passion and efforts, but we gotta act "ahora"...tomorrow may be too late.


We should make every effort to maintain our Spanish speaking and literacy, so that our youth will respect and maintain their Spanish skills. Our children are the future, they will form the economic bridge to Mexico, Central and South American, Spain and the Philippines. President Roosevelt views on one language, English, is not a negative. English is considered the language of business, but to be comfortably bilingual should be treasured, it is gold.	Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907
	"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin"
" But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag.... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." Sent by Holly Payne HPayne@iusd.org


THE AMERICAN FlAG UPSIDE-DOWN AND SECOND